Method of and apparatus for sealing vitreous bodies



Nov. 12, 1935. 2,020,729

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR'JSEALING VITREOUS BODIES AgR. KNOEPPEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. '27, 1934 m t o INVENTOR Nov. 12, 1935.

A. R. KNOEPPEL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR, SEALINGIQI TREOUS BODIES Filed Jan. 27. 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 29 INVENTOR BY a l] H II 28 flllllll TTORNEY V Nov. 12, 1935. A, R. KNOEPPEL 2,020,729

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING VI'I'REOUS BODIES Filed Jan. 27, 1954 s Sheets-Sheeti INVENTOR I ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING VITREOUS BODIES Application January 21, 1934, Serial No. 70am 9 Claims. The present invention relates. to the art of glass working, and in particular to the forming of an exhaust tubulation for a hollow glass body.

A particular object of the invention is to fuse a vitreous tube into a larger vitreous body. Another object of my invention is to provide a novel and simplified method of forming an exhaust passage extending through a pinch seal. Another object of my invention is to provide a novel apparatus for sealing an exhaust tubulation into a pinch seal. Still other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following-detailed specification or from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the novel series of steps of the method and in a novel combination of elements, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the manufacture of various types of devices, such as mercury switches, radio tubes, incandescent lamps and the like, it is frequently desirable to tubulate the glass envelope through a pinch seal which is provided about the electrical inleads. The pressure of the jaws used to produce the pinch seal according to the usual method is sulficient, however, to close any air passage through this seal, and hence various expedients have been devised heretofore to keep the desired passage open during the production of the seal. All of these expedients have involved the use of some formof mandrel of refractory material. In some cases these mandrels were removed after the seal was finished, while in other cases the mandrel was a permanent part of the seal. In the latter case the air passage is necessarily reducedfor any given size of tubulation, so that this method is particularly undesirable. All of the prior methods have in addition had the common fault that they involved so much additional labor and expense that it was usually more practicable to tubulate the envelope at some other point, despite both the greater mechanical hazard to the sealoff tip and the unsightliness thereof.

I have now discovered that these difficulties may be entirely overcome in a very simple manner by a new procedure of my invention. According to my novel method of producing this combined tubulation and seal the glass tube which is to serve as the tubulation is maintained at a temperature considerably below the fusing point while the glass envelope is being heated to the fusing temperature. Just before the glass envelope is pinched down onto the inleads the tubulation is placed in position to be pinched into the seal. As a result of this novel procedure the tubulation in efiect serves asits own mandrel,

resisting the pressure of the pinching jaws and preventing the closing of the air passage through said tubulation. The glass of the envelope fuses down about this tubulation and about the electrical inleads, producing a perfect tubulated pinch seal. The seal is then preferably further heated to bring the entire mass to a temperature slightly above the annealing temperature thereof in order to prevent the formation of strains. During this heating there is, of course, little tendency for the air passage to close up, since the glass is not particularly plastic at this temperature and no pinching pressure is exerted thereon. This novel method may be practiced, of course, either by hand or by any other suitable means. I prefer, however, to employ a novel mechanism of my invention wherein the various steps are automatically carried out in the desired sequence, producing uniformity in the finished product at a minimum of expense. In this novel mechanism the glass tubulation is retained within the die block, out of the zone of the fires, until a brief interval before the seal is to be pinched. Then it is automatically moved to the desired position within the envelope and the glass pinched down thereon. 3

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my novel apparatus for producing a tubulation through a pinch seal according to my novel method, together with an example of the product thereof. In these drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of my novel apparatus, Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a. part of the machine, showing the novel details of the revolving head,

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the revolving head showing the parts in a different position, Figs. 4 to 6 are details in part section showing three successive steps in forming the com-' bined seal and tubulation, I Fig. 7 is a plan view of the cam which controls the execution of these steps, Figs. 8 and 9 are plan views of alternative forms of pinching jaws, and

Fig. 10 is a view of a completed mercury switch having a combined seal and tubulation produced according to my invention. As shown in these drawings my novel apparatus consists of a conventional turret type glass working machine which has been modified in certain important particulars to carry out the steps of my novel method. The conventional turret I is mounted in the usual manner on the machine.

base 2 and isrotated with a step-by-step motion by means of a Geneva. gear 3. A plurality of bosses 4 are arranged along the outer edge of the turret opposite the rest positions of said Geneva gear. In each of said bosses 4 there is journaled a sleeve 5 having a shoulder thereon which rests upon a suitable bearing on the upper end of each boss 4. At the lower end of each sleeve 5 there is a disc 6 which is adapted to frictionally engage in turn with each of a series of driving wheels '1 which are located at the rest positions C to H inclusive (Fig. 1). Said driving wheels I each have a sprocket 8 associated therewith whereby they are continuously rotated by means of a. suitable chain drive (not shown) Extending upwardly from each sleeve 5 are a pair of spaced support members 9 which carry between them at their upper end a counterbored block .ll in which there is positioned a die block A pair of pinching jaws l2 are likewise hinged to said block III in the usual manner. A push rod l3 which extends through the sleeve 5 carries a crosshead l4 which is in turn connected by means '0! links |5 to the aforesaid pinching jaws l2.

Said links I5 each have a slot l6 therein at the lower end thereof which engage with suitable pins in the crosshead l4, whereby said crosshead can move upwardly for a predetermined distance without operating the pinching jaws. The cross-head |4 likewise carries an upwardly extending support H which at its upper end is bent to serve as a guide for a vertical rod I8 having suitable stops at each end thereof. A light compression spring I! which is positioned between the support serve to retain the glass bulb 2| in the desired position.

A set of gas jets 22 are so positioned as to impinge upon the lower end of the bulb 2| which is at the rest position C, while a similar set 23 is located at the rest position D. At position E there are two sets of jets 24. At rest position F there is another set of jets 25, at position G there is a smaller set of jets 26, and at rest position H there is a single jet 21 which'is directed at the very base of the seal, adjacent to the tubulation.

Provision is made at rest position E to operate the push rods l3. A shaft 28 which is journaled in a boss in the base 2 has a cam wheel 29 mounted thereon below said base. The edge of said cam wheel, along which the cam surface extends,

is directly below the push rod i3 which is at said rest position E. A rod 30 extends through the base 2 and continuously rests upon the cam surface of said cam wheel 29, while the upper end thereof is adapted to engage the push rod l3 which is at rest thereabove. As shown the cam wheel 23 is connected to the indexing member for the Geneva gear 3 in such fashion that it makes one complete revolution for each step of the turret I. At the instant said turret rotates the cam surface on the cam wheel 29 is low enough to drop the rod 30 out of contact with the push rods l3. Approximately 180 in the direction of rotation said cam wheel has a raised surface 3| which moves said rod 30 into contact with the push rod l3 and then moves said push rod upward a short distance. Said surface 3| extends for a little less than 180 further in the same direction, at which point there is a sudden rise 32 of short duration which causes the push rod II to be lifted Still further In the use and operation of this machine to carry out mynovel method to produce a mercury switch or the like a pair of beaded inleads 33 are placed in a die block I l at either of the loading and unloading positions A or B. A tubulature 34 is also placed in said die block, the lower end of this tubulature resting on the upper end of the rod I8 while the upper end of said tubulature is substantially flush with the top of said die block. A bulb 2| is then positioned in the jaws 20 with the lower end thereof slightly above the die block II, as shown in Fig. 1. As the turret lmoves this loaded head to position C the head begins to rotate and flames from the jets 22 impinge on the lower edge of the bulb 2|, this heating being continued at position D, where flames from the jets 23 are directed to the same part of the bulb. At position E, where the parts are initially in the position shown in Fig. 2, the bulb 2| is brought into the intense heat of the flames from the jets 24 whereby the edge of the envelope 2| is so softened that it begins to contract under the influence ofthe surface tension. At about this instant the surface 3| of the cam wheel 29 engages the rod 30, forcing the push rod |3 upward'for a short distance. This movement of the push rod carries the crosshead |4 upward,-

and the pinching jaws |2 connected therewith are not operated. The support I1 carries the rod l8 upwardly therewith, however, together with the tubulature 34 supported thereon, until the enlarged head on said rod engages the lower end of the block Ill, any further movement of said support I! thereupon resulting only in a slight compression of the spring IS. The tubulature 34 now passes through the zone of the pinch seal, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The heating of the glass in this zone then continues for several seconds, during which the tubulature is heated sufficiently to permit fusion of the glass bulb 2| thereto, but not ,enough to materially soften it. The surface 32 on the cam wheel 29 then engages the rod 30, and thus forces the push rod I3 still further upward. This further movement of the push rod I3 and crosshead 4 moves the links I5 upwardly, forcing the jaws 2 into the pinching position, and likewise moves the support upward. Movement of the latter merely results in further compression of the spring l9, however, due to the fact that the end of the rod i8 is already against the block "I. The parts now occupy the positions illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6. Due to the relatively cold glass of the tubulature 34 the glass of the bulb 2| is pinched down thereabout to form a perfect seal without closing the air passage in .said tubulature to the slightest degree. As the surface 32 on said cam passes the rod 30 the pinching jaws l2 are released and the head is then moved on to position F, where the seal is subjected to a relatively hot fire from the jets 25, by whichthe entire mass is heated to a temperature slightly above the annealing temperature of the glass employed, since this has been found to prevent the formation of strains in the seal. During this heating the air passage does not close, both because the glass is not particularly plastic at this annealing temperature, and because no pressure is exerted thereon at this stage in the operation. At

the next succeeding rest position G the seal is heated by the smaller flames from the jets 28, which prevent too rapid cooling thereof. At position If a small flame is directed from the Jet 21 to the point where the tubulature 34 emerges from the seal to further control the rate of cooling of this part of the seal, although this step is omitted in some cases.

While pinching jaws having plane surfaces are ordinarily employed to make the pinch seal I have found that in some cases, as where very large inleads or tubulatures are used, better results can be obtained by the use of shaped jaws, such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. With either of these jaws provision is made to pinch the glass around the tubulature, and in that of Fig. 9 they are shaped around the inleads as well.

My novel method, which can obviously be performed by hand as well as by the machine illustrated, permits the simple and inexpensive production of a mercury switch, such as shown in Fig. 10, the mercury being readily inserted and the device evacuated through the air passage left when the seal is produced in this manner.

I have found by experiment that this novel method may be employed with either the socalled hard glasses (borosilicate or the like) or with the softer lead or lime glasses, although somewhat more care in annealing is necessary with the latter. I have also found that the instant at which the tubulature is moved into the heating zone is not particularly critical, there being a considerable temperature range for said tubulature within which satisfactory results may be attained.

While I have described my invention by reference to a specific machine and mode of operation, it is obvious that it is not limited thereto. but that various changes, omissions, and substitutions, within the scope of the appended claims, may bemade therein without departing from the spirit thereof. In particular it may be noted that my novel method can be employed with equal facility regardless of whether the bulb 2| is closed at the opposite end or not. In fact my novel method and apparatus is of value for the simple joining of two tubes or the like of unlike diameter, and it is intended that it should be so used where desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of sealing a vitreous tube into a vitreous body having an open end of larger diameter than said tube which comprises heating the end of said body to its softening temperature then inserting the end of said tube within the heated end of said body, continuing to heat the end of said body to its fusing temperature, and then pinching the fused end of said body into contact with said tube.

2. The method of producing a tubulated vitreous envelope which comprises positioning an open end of said envelope about an inlcad, heating said envelope to its softening temperature, then inserting a tubulature within the heated end of said envelope, continuing to heat said envelope to its fusing temperature, and then pinching the fused end of said envelope into contact with both said tubulature and said inlead to form a tubulated pinch seal. i

3. The method of sealing a vitreous tube into a vitreous body having an open end of larger diameter than said tube which comprises heating the end of said body to a fusing temperature while maintaining the temperature of said tube below the annealing temperature thereof.

4. In glass working apparatus, in combination, means to support an open-ended vitreous body, means to apply fusing heat to the end of said body, means to support a vitreous tube adjacent lo to said body, means to shield said tube from said heat, means to move said tube within the heated end of said body, and means operable after said tube moving means has reached its limit of travel to pinch the end of said body into contact with 15 said tube.

5. In glass working apparatus, in combination, means to support an open-ended vitreous body, means to apply fusing heat to the end of said body, means to support a vitreous tube out of registry with the open end of said body, means to move said tube within the softened end of said body, and means operable after said tube moving means has reached its limit of travel to pinch the end of said body into contact with said tube.

6. In glass working apparatus, in combination, means to support .an inlead, means to support an opened vitreous body about said inlead, means to apply fusing heat to the end of said body, means to support a vitreous tube out of registry with said body, means to move said tube within the softened end of said body, and means operable after said tube moving means has reached its limit of travel to pinch the end of said body to form a seal about said inlead and about said tubulature.

7. In glass working apparatus, in combination,

a die block adapted to retain an inlead, means to support an open-ended vitreous body above said dieblock, means to apply fusing heat to the end of said body, means to support a vitreous tube within said die block with the end thereof substantially flush with said die block, means to raise said tube above said block, and means operable after said tube moving means has reached its limit of travel to pinch the end of said body to form a seal about said inlead and said tube.

8. In glass working apparatus, in combination, means to'support an open-ended vitreous body, means to apply fusing heat to the end of said body, means to support a vitreous tube out of registry with the open end of said body, means to move said tube within the softened end of said body after a predetermined interval, and means operable after said tube moving means has reached its limit of travel to pinch the end of 5 said body into contact with said tube.

9. In glass working apparatus, in combination, means to support an open-ended vitreous body, means to apply fusing heat to the end of said body, means to support a vitreous tube adjacent 80 to said body, means to shield said tube from said heat, means to move said tube within the heated end of said body, means to pinch the end of said body into contact with said tube and means to raise the vitreous mass which has been pinched together to a temperature slightly above the annealing temperature thereof, and means effective thereafter to control the cooling rate of said vitreous mass.

ALWIN R. KNOEPPEL. 

